NATIONAL ARTISTS

FOR THEATER
HONORATA “ATANG” DELA RAMA
• Honorata De La Rama, commonly known as Atang De La Rama, was a renowned singer and bodabil performer who became the first
Filipina film actress. She was born on January 11, 1902, in Pandacan, Manila. By the age of 7, she was already starring in Sp anish zarzuelas
such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, and Marina. At the age of 15, she starred in the sarsuela dalagang bukid, where she became known for
singing the song “Nabasag na Banga.”
• During the American occupation of the Philippines,Atang De La Rama fought for the dominance of the Kundiman, an important
Philippine folk song, and the sarsuela, a musical play that focused on contemporary Filipino issues such as usury, cockfighti ng, and colonial
mentality. She was also a theatrical producer, writer, and talent manager, producing and writing plays such as Anak ni Eva an d Bulaklak ng
Kabundukan.

• For her achievements and contributions to the art form, she was hailed Queen of the Kundiman and of the Sarsuela in 1979, at the age
of 74. She believed that art should be for everyone and made an effort to bring the Kundiman and sarsuela to the indigenous p eoples of
the Philippines, such as the Igorots, the Aetas, and the Mangyans. She also performed in major Manila theaters and brought Fi lipino culture
to foreign audiences.

• On May 8, 1987, President Corazon C. Aquino proclaimed Atang De La Rama a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater and Music.
She passed away on July 11, 1991. She was married to National Artist for Literature, Amado V. Hernandez.
DAISY H. AVELLANA
• Daisy Avellana made significant contributions to the arts and culture scene in the Philippines. She was a renowned theater
actress, director, and producer who played a pivotal role in the development of Philippine theater.

• Avellana co-founded the Barangay Theater Guild in 1939, which became one of the pioneering theater groups in the country.
She directed and acted in numerous stage productions, bringing Philippine literature and culture to life on the stage. Her
dedication to promoting Filipino plays and playwrights helped shape the local theater industry.

• In addition to her work in theater,Avellana also made contributions to the film industry. She co-directed the critically
acclaimed film “Anak Dalita” (Child of Sorrow) in 1956, which was the first Filipino film to be screened at the Cannes Film
Festival. This achievement brought international recognition to Philippine cinema.

• Through her artistic endeavors, Daisy Avellana played a significant role in preserving and promoting Philippine culture and
heritage. Her contributions to the arts continue to inspire and influence aspiring artists in the country.
WILFRIDO MA. GUERRERO
• Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist whose 35 years of devoted
professorship has produced the most sterling luminaries in Philippine performing arts
today: Behn Cervantes, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc. In 1947, he was
appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years. As founder and artistic
director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus tour and
delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 committed years of service. By
bringing theatre to the countryside, Guerrero made it possible for students and
audiences, in general, to experience the basic grammar of staging and acting in familiar
and friendly ways through his plays that humorously reflect the behavior of the Filipino.
• Plays include Half an Hour in a Convent,Wanted:A Chaperon, Forever, Condemned,
Perhaps, In Unity, Deep in My Heart,Three Rats, Our Strange Ways,The Forsaken House,
Frustrations.
SEVERINO MONTANO
• Severino Montano was born on January 3, 1915 and he passed away on December 12, 1980 was a significant figure in the Philippine
theater. He was a playwright, director, actor, and theater organizer with an output of one novel, 150 poems, and 50 plays in his 65-year
lifetime.

• Montano’s pioneering of the arena theater has been one of the many changes in the Filipino arts scene in the 50s. It has brou ght theater
arts as a form of entertainment and celebration of Filipino drama to the far-flung barrios of the Philippines.The theater catered to
grassroots audience, bringing theatre closer to the hearts of the Filipino masses of his generation.

• His works include:The Love of Leonor Rivera (poetic tragedy in two-parts), My Morning Star (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts),
But Not My Sons Any Longer (poetic tragedy in two-parts), Gabriela Silang (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts),The Merry Wives of
Manila (comedy of manners in three-parts), Sabina (tragedy), The Ladies and the Senador (satirical comedy) and Parting at Calamba
(historical drama).

• Montano is recognized for institutionalizing “legitimate theater” in the Philippines.As Dean of Instruction of the Philippin e Normal
College, Montano organized the Arena Theater to bring drama to the masses. He trained and directed the new generations of
dramatists including Rolando S.Tinio, Emmanuel Borlaza, Joonee Gamboa, and Behn Cervantes. He established a graduate program at
the Philippine Normal College for the training of playwrights, directors, technicians, actors, and designers. He also established the Arena
Theater playwriting contest that led to the discovery of Wilfrido Nolledo, Jesus T. Peralta, and Estrella Alfon.

• Among his awards and recognitions are the Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila (1968), Presidential Award for Merit
in Drama and Theater (1961), and the Rockefeller Foundation grant to travel to 98 cities abroad (1950, 1952, 1962, and 1963).Montano
is considered one of the titans of Philippine theater and was conferred a lifetime achievement award as part of National Artist of the
Philippine
ROLANDO S. TINIO
• Rolando Santos Tinio is a renowned Filipino poet, dramatist, director, actor, critic, essayist, and educator, was born on March 5, 1937 and passed away
on July 7, 1997 was a highly regarded Filipino poet, playwright, translator, and professor. He is recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for
Theater and Literature.

• Rolando Santos tinio was Born in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila, Tinio began writing poetry at a young age and published his first collection of poems,
“Sitsit sa Kuliglig,” in 1967. His poetry often explored themes of love, nature, and social issues. He was known for his mastery of the Filipino language
and his ability to create vivid and evocative imagery through his words.

• Aside from his poetry, Tinio made significant contributions to Philippine theater. He wrote numerous plays, including “Larawa n,” an adaptation of
Nick Joaquin’s “Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,” and “Tatlong Paglalakbay sa Pagitan ng Buhay at Kamatayan ng Isang Babae ,” which won the Palanca
Award for One-Act Play in 1973. He also translated and adapted foreign plays into Filipino, making them accessible to a wider audience.

• Tinio served as a professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he taught Philippine Literature and Creative Writing. He was a
mentor to many aspiring writers and was instrumental in the development of Filipino literature.

• His contributions to literature and theater were recognized with numerous awards and accolades, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for
Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1997.Tinio’s works continue to be celebrated and studied, leaving a lasting impact on
Philippine arts and culture.